Glasgow Rangers and Philippe Clement were left frustrated on Sunday afternoon after they were beaten 1-0 by Queen’s Park in the SFA Cup at Ibrox.
It was the first time in the history of the club that they had lost at Ibrox to a lower league outfit in the SFA Cup, as James Tavernier missed a 97th-minute penalty to keep his side in the match.
Clement described the result as “unacceptable” but the Belgian boss is not expected to lose his job because of it, as Sky Sports have reported that he is set to be in the dugout against Hearts on Sunday.
Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart, however, should consider changing his stance on the former Monaco manager’s future, due to the team’s struggles in his time at Ibrox.
Why Rangers should sack Philippe Clement
The Light Blues appointed Clement to replace Michael Beale in October of 2023 when the Ibrox giants were seven points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table.
Rangers did win the League Cup, beating Aberdeen 1-0 in the final at Hampden Park, early on in his tenure, but there has not been much to shout about since then.
The Gers ended the 2023/24 campaign in second place in the Premiership and lost to the Hoops in the final of the SFA Cup, thanks to a last-minute goal from Adam Idah.
This season, Rangers lost to Celtic in the final of the League Cup and are already a whopping 13 points behind their rivals in the Premiership title race, whilst they are now out of the SFA Cup after their historic defeat to Queen’s Park.
The Light Blues are, therefore, in a worse position, in the league and in the domestic cups, than they were when Clement took the job almost 18 months ago, which is why Stewart should brutally sack the Belgian boss.
The manager Rangers should replace Clement with
The Rangers CEO could ruthlessly part ways with the current Ibrox coach by revisiting the club’s interest in Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen, who was of interest to the club when Clement first got the job in 2023.
Bodo/Glimt captain Ulrik Saltnes once described the tactician’s style of play as “kamikaze”, as his team is based around an intense, high-energy, press, and it could be an enjoyable, all-action, brand of football for Rangers to watch.
Ultimately, though, supporters may just want to see a style that finally brings the Premiership title back to Ibrox, as they have not lifted the trophy since the 2020/21 campaign with Steven Gerrard at the helm.
|
Knutsen’s title dominance |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Eliteserien |
Points per game |
Position |
|
2024 |
2.07 |
1st |
|
2023 |
2.33 |
1st |
|
2022 |
2.00 |
2nd |
|
2021 |
2.10 |
1st |
|
2020 |
2.70 |
1st |
As you can see in the table above, Knutsen has led his Bodo/Glimt side to the Eliteserien title in four of the last five seasons, most recently securing the title in the 2024 season.
These achievements suggest that the Norwegian head coach knows what it takes to dominate a league and to achieve the consistency required to win domestic titles, which is exactly what Rangers need moving forward.
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Therefore, Knutsen could be a terrific appointment as a manager who has the relevant experience required for what the Gers need in a head coach, both in terms of style of play and winning titles, and that is why Stewart should ruthlessly sack Clement to pursue a deal for him.
